Renaissance D'Esprit
by SaiyanBlack
Summary: [AU One-shot] Part two of the Spirit Arc. A bittersweet ending for our heroes that will start new lives for them both... Together.


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The sequel to Docteur de Spectre, a one-shot I wrote a couple of weeks ago that received a nice response. So, since many people have requested, here is the one-shot sequel that will answer some questions left from the last one.

Enjoy!

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**Renaissance D'Esprit**

**By SaiyanBlack**

The weather was warm and muggy, the overcast sky filled with moisture and the air was heated as the ground released its built up heat from the summer sun. A feeling crept over her as she gazed across the open landscape of the national park, making her heart heavy and her skin crawl. It whispered something ominous in her ear but the words were unknown to her.

"Kagome? Are you okay?"

The dark haired young woman turned to look at the tall form of her brother and cast him a small smile over her shoulder. He returned the gesture and continued on to the truck in the parking lot of the woodland casino they had been visiting. Her heart wasn't in ghost hunting anymore and she had enrolled in the junior college near her mother's home in California. Miroku and Sango supported her decision and offered to pay for the plane ticket, but she had declined, preferring to drive the short distance over the California-Nevada border on her own.

The heavy feeling had returned and she looked out over the Sierra Nevada Mountains from the edge of the parking lot. Huge pines towered above her head, reaching to the sky in their own peaked imitation of the mountains they grew on. What was it telling her?

A hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts and she looked at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. The older woman stood a little taller than she did and her long dark brown hair exceeded the length of her own, even in its high ponytail. She and Miroku had a lot in common when it came to the way they both viewed life and its mysteries. They had found an interesting hobby in investigating ghost hauntings and the unknown forces of what they referred to as the "afterlife."

"We're all packed," Sango informed her and Kagome nodded, letting the older woman lead her back to where their cars were parked outside of the old casino. Miroku was securing their equipment in the bed of the large black truck that they used to travel the States. Parked next to the truck was her little Toyota, a relic that had been her mother's first car when she was young. The few bags that she traveled with were already packed in the trunk.

Miroku stepped over and hugged her and she felt the warmth and comfort of his embrace. They had gotten along well as children and he was her best friend, even as they became adults. She couldn't help the feeling of finality in their hug, but she pushed it away as he pulled away.

"You take care of yourself, okay?" he told her, "Don't drive the whole way to Mom's without taking a break or two and watch the roads over the pass. They get sharp and windy around the corners."

She laughed and waved him off, "I know. I'll be careful."

Sango gave her a sisterly hug and nearly lifted her off the ground with the force she squeezed with. Again the sense of this probably being the last time she be this close to them came into her mind. She pushed it out again.

"Call any time if you need some girl-talk," Sango told her, "I'll be happy to give you some advice on the less intelligent sex."

Miroku made a choking sound behind them and they broke into giggles, using each other for support. The older woman placed a kiss on her cheek and released her from her grip, walking her over to the driver's side of the small Toyota. Her brother gave her one last hug before opening her door for her and closing it as she buckled her seatbelt.

"Have fun in college!" he called as she started the engine and backed out. She waved, calling a last 'goodbye' as she pulled onto the highway.

Even at midday, the one lane highways that curved around the mountains were very empty and it was several hours after she started driving before she saw another car. She had rolled the passenger window down and she could smell the scent of pine that seemed to waft in the air. The sky was still overcast and the air felt moist, as if threatening to open and drench the world below.

She was content with the quiet that surrounded her and refrained from turning the radio on just so she could hear the sound of the wind as it flowed through her windows and picked up the ends of her hair.

Across the state line, the upward climb became a downward slide and the heavens decided to burst and angel's tears began to fall around her. She rolled up the windows and flipped her wipers and lights, reducing her speed so she wouldn't run off the road as she rounded the sharp corners around mountains and trees.

Light in her rearview mirror alerted her to the monster truck coming up behind her at a dangerous speed. For several moments she alternated looking between her mirror and the gray road she was driving. The person behind her was apparently not happy with her speed because they rode on her tail, swerving from one side to the other trying to get her to pull over. She wondered why they didn't just pass her since no one was coming on the other side of the road.

It all happened so quickly that she never had a chance to realize what hit her. One moment she was blinded by a pair of lights coming at her from the front and the next her tiny car was thrown to the side and into the cliffside that bordered the right of the road. There was so much noise that it seemed like she was deafened with silence, but it all soon clamed and the last thing she remembered was the sound of rain and the cool feel of it as it fell onto her cheek . . . .

_"Kagome."_

The voice was familiar and gave her a warm feeling all over. The speaker had an accent that she couldn't put a name to, but the roughness of the lit gave his voice character and made her name sound like an endearment.

"Open your eyes, lass."

He, for the bearer of the voice was surely male, sounded amused and he let a small chuckle escape him. He was close to her, standing so close to her that she could feel the warmth radiating off his form in a constant wave. She followed his direction and let her eyes flutter open, gazing straight up at the blue sky. White clouds rode on the wind way up above the tree tops and down lower between the trunks the wind was a breeze, lifting her hair away from her face.

"Kagome," her companion called and she looked to the left of the clearing that she stood in to see a face that had been appearing in her dreams ever since she met him a year before. He stood close, only a step away. His strong face had a smirk that seemed more like a warm smile and his golden eyes flashed with silent laughter. The same wind that embraced her pulled his silvery white into the air, making him look like the hero from a romantic fairytale.

For the first time, she saw his clothing and the coloring of his tanned skin. The leather of his breeches and sleeveless, armored tunic was dyed a deep crimson and it clashed with the greenery of the forest behind him. The metal accents he wore seemed to be made of bronze and they caught the sunlight, drawing her attention to the thick circlet around his neck, off of which hung what seemed to be several claws.

"Inuyasha?" she asked in a breathless voice and his ears tilted toward her, catching the sound. The two appendages atop his head didn't surprise her like such a sight normally would have and she attributed it to his presence. His smirk widened and he closed the short distance between them with one stride. Her hand rose, poised beside his face, hesitating. He wouldn't allow her to touch him the last time they had met in the dark dungeon of a castle in Wales and she feared that he would stop her again.

But no warning came and he pushed his cheek against her hand when she didn't move it on her own. His eyes kept their lock on hers and she found herself unable to look away, caught up in his gaze and smile. Beneath her fingers his skin was smooth and warm, sending a tingling feeling through her hand where her skin met his face.

"You can touch me," he told her, "I won't disappear if you do."

There was a clam silence that stretched between them as she ran her fingertips across his face, feeling the dips and curves of its structure. Along his jaw line there was a healed scar, some remnant from a battle long past. But something nagged at the back of her mind.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, "What happened?"

His smirk disappeared, replaced with a tender look that bordered on sad. He too reached up and cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb under her eye.

"You died, lass," he said gently, watching her face very closely for her reaction. "You were in an accident."

Something seemed to shut down in her mind at the information and it took her several moments to process it. Her eyes no longer saw the sun drenched forest clearing they were in, but the wet roadside of a mountain highway. Her tiny Toyota was mangled against the rocky cliff wall that edged the road, the giant truck that had been following her so close, rammed into its tail end. Another car, what looked like an SUV of some type, was on the other side of the highway, prevented from falling over the cliff by thick pines that caught its broadside.

Other cars, highway patrolmen and rescue vehicles, ranged along the road, their drivers diverting traffic with crimson flares and attempting to pull out the mangled body in the smashed car. She turned away from the sight, only to see the wet forms of Miroku and Sango embracing each other next to a highway patrol car, the policeman beside them expressing his apologies. She could hear their voices . . . .

_"I hope he's with her,"_ Miroku said, his face buried in his fianc's shoulder. The woman seemed puzzled by his remark.

_"Who?"_

_"Inuyasha,"_ he told her and they were silent a moment before she spoke.

_"I'm sure he is. . . ."_

Her vision cleared and she found herself looking into the amber eyes of the very man they spoke of. His gaze was concerned and sympathetic and she recalled that he too, had to face his death. His presence and their connection made the new situation easier to deal with and she could feel the comfort that the warmth of his spirit brought to hers.

He didn't seem surprised when she leaned forward into him and didn't hesitate to wrap her within his strong, bare arms. The hard leather of his tunic was smooth against her cheek as she cuddled into his embrace. The wind brought tendrils of his hair to tickle her face as the sun kissed their forms through the dappled shade of the trees.

"Okay," she said with some acceptance and he tightened his hold on her.

"Okay," he returned and placed a tender kiss to her forehead. They pulled apart, but he took her hand, keeping her close. "Come on, lass. I hear they've got new lives for us to start together."

He began leading her through the clearing and into the trees, but she stopped and gave him a sly grin when he turned to look back at her questioningly. Her smile caused one dark brow to tilt up into his thick silver bangs and he stepped closer when she tugged on their joined hands.

"Inuyasha," she drawled teasingly and the other brow shot up with the first, "you forgot to kiss me."

A wide smirk bloomed on his face and he laughed outright, the deep sound echoing in the trees. He then proceeded to welcomingly invade her personal space, looking down at her, little more than an inch between them.

"Aye," he whispered, "I did, didn't I?"

Slowly, he dipped down, catching her lips in a gentle kiss as his free hand came to rest on her hip. The other he held tightly within his own, absently brushing across her knuckles with his thumb. He pulled back after a moment and her eyes fluttered open to see his face. With a satisfied and arrogant smirk, he gazed down at her heatedly.

"Remember when I told you I was selfish?" he asked, the question so out of the blue it took her a moment to answer.

"Yes," she replied, thinking about their first meeting when he had held her hand in the darkness of a medieval dungeon. Then, he hadn't let her touch him, but had taken the liberty to do so himself without asking. She had found that she didn't mind his caresses and his kisses had stayed in her mind to remind her of that night. "Why?"

His smile grew tender and he leaned down to touch his forehead to hers, their noses brushing. He dropped one small kiss on her lips before answering.

"Because you're mine."

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I can't believe I just killed Kagome. It was bad enough that Inuyasha was already dead . . . but wow. It was the only thing I could think of that would let them be together. Also, this will explain my avatar.

This is dedicated to my cousin, Kenny, who died in a car wreck on a mountain road on April 25th, 2003. In a way, writing this was a way to come to terms with his death. If anyone is interested, they can read the article from the local newspaper at (http:archives. willitsnews. com/articles/ 2003/05/02/ export3222.txt).


End file.
